Heresy
by Mediancat
Summary: A ritual is cast and Buffy pops in to our world over a thousand years from now . . . where there's a religion based on her life.


Notes: The Buffy characters belong, naturally, to Joss Whedon. Everyone else is mine.  
  
This breaks off from mainstream Buffy continuity very early in season 6.  
  
  
  
". . . . And Buffy Summers so loved the world and the people in it, that for them she gave up the joys of heaven." Xander 3:16  
  
  
  
In the beginning were the words. And the words were powerful.  
  
They were chanted by four young women, in the ruins of an ancient church, whose roof had long since blown away. Two had red hair, two blonde, and as they chanted the words they sprinkled a powder onto a fire. They wore identical gray hooded cloaks.  
  
Then an explosion knocked them all backwards. As they dusted themselves off and stood up, they saw the results of their efforts, standing in the middle of a now extinguished fire. The empty church was lit only by the moon.  
  
And boy, was it pissed. "What the hell?"  
  
"It worked!" One of the redheads said. "It actually worked!"  
  
One of the blondes said, "I wasn't even sure she really existed."  
  
"Oh, I exist alright," she said. "And unless someone tells me how I got here –"  
  
All four came up and bowed as one. The first redhead said, "Buffy Summers?"  
  
"Yeah. And you are?"  
  
The redhead jumped up and down excitedly. "I'm Rose." She pointed to the other redhead first, then the blondes. "That's Hacker, that's Mikki, that's Maddie. We're, well, we're willows, and we just brought you from the past!"  
  
"I'm not entirely sure," the one called Maddie said. "We've been fooled before. Remember when we got that actress?"  
  
"Would you like me to prove it by staking you?" Buffy said, irritably. "And – willows?"  
  
"We cast spells," Rose said. "Yes, we're named after HER. The great Willow, from whom all magicks flow." Something was twisted here. Even the moon looked off – slightly red.  
  
Buffy backed slowly away from the four spellcasters, until she was up against the church's wall. "What the HELL is going on here? Where am I?"  
  
"Not where, when. It's 1398 PB," Hacker said shyly. "Um, that'd be 3379 the way you measure time. Only now, because of her holiness –" she practically spat out that word – "we don't measure time that way anymore. Now we measure it from the date of your birth."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
But Buffy's questions would not soon receive answers. No sooner had Rose opened her mouth when the doors of the church burst open, and several dark- haired men in camouflage gear came charging in. "There they are!" One of them yelled.  
  
"It's the xanders!" Rose yelled. "Run!"  
  
But the four willows were quickly gathered up, leaving Buffy still standing there in shock. The lead xander – to the obvious horror of the other three willows – walked up and kissed Mikki. "Nice work, babe."  
  
"How could you do –" Maddie began.  
  
Mikki looked at Hacker, Rose and Maddie, and sneered. "How could I? Easy. I'm not a Summers-damned Taraist, like you witches. I'm a real child of Buffy." She struggled out of the robe and threw it to the ground. "Thank the redeemed I can finally stop wearing that thing."  
  
Nightmare . . . this was a nightmare . . .  
  
Meanwhile, the lead xander spoke into what looked like a radio. "Yeah, Giles, we got 'em. They got another fake Buffy here, too. Mikki did a great job. I think my girl's gonna have a real future." Then he clicked it off and said, "Giles said, kill 'em all."  
  
Now this, finally, Buffy understood.  
  
  
  
Part 2  
  
  
  
"Hail Cordelia, speaker of truth, blessed art thou above all women, and blessed is that which emergeth from thy mouth. Holy Cordelia, seer of seers, help us to see the light, from now until the hour of our death. Amen."  
  
  
  
The xanders started in, waving metal batons that seemed to be crackling with electricity. Before Buffy could get to them, they'd already clouted Hacker over the head and were moving in on Maddie. Then Buffy blocked a stroke, broke an arm, and grabbed one of the batons. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Then she caught one of the other ones in the neck with the baton, and he went down HARD. Damn, Buffy didn't want to kill anyone . . . she found a switch at the base of the baton and flipped it off.  
  
"We will," the lead xander said, turning to one of the men behind him. "Go get the redeemed; the Taraists did their homework with this one." Then three of them came after her, while the other two chased after the two remaining witches while Mikki just stood around.  
  
Buffy had two of the Xanders injured and was working on the third when five vampires came barreling into the place, led by a bleached-blond man wearing a leather jacket. And sporting a very bad English accent. "The Buffy clone, then?" he said. "Right then." They all charged, and the xanders began to close in on Rose and Maddie.  
  
Fortunately for Buffy, she hadn't come unprepared. She whipped out a stake and started in on the vampires. But in addition to their strength, these vamps had had fighting training as well. Buffy'd killed one of them but was being hard-pressed by the remaining four. She flicked the baton back on, only to see it knocked from her hands. "Now then, love," the blond vamp said, "Fight fair."  
  
"You gonna make it a one-on-one then?" she told the Spike wannabe.  
  
The blond laughed. "I said you had to fight fair; never said I was going to."  
  
As two of the vampire grabbed her, she heard Rose's voice come barrelling out, ". . . mighty thunderer, hear my cry!"  
  
Suddenly a blast of wind and rain emerged from her hands, driving back the four vampires and knocking down the three standing xanders and Mikki. "RUN!" she yelled. Buffy took advantage of the vampires' distraction to snatch back the baton and smack the Spike clone upside the head.  
  
Maddie ran over to her. "I'm not going to leave you." She kissed the other woman.  
  
"Summers-damned perverted Tara-worshippers!" the lead xander shouted. "Mikki!"  
  
"You got it." She began to chant a perverted prayer: "Hail Cordelia, speaker of truth, lightbringer. Help me to show . . . ."  
  
"You have to," Rose said. "We worked too long for this. Now," she kissed back. "Go." All four vampires were forcing their way through the winds towards the witch.  
  
"Okay," Maddie said, though it looked like she was about to burst into tears. She came over and grabbed Buffy's hand. "We have to get out of here."  
  
"But –"  
  
Maddie shook her head. "No buts. Rose is right. You're too important to us. You're why we did all this."  
  
Reluctantly, Buffy followed Maddie to the back door of the church, and then through it.  
  
When she looked back, the vampires had gotten closer, and some kind of golden light was coming from Mikki. Buffy hurled a rock in their direction; it arcked through the air and caught the traitorous willow on the head. She collapsed and the glow disappeared.  
  
"That's not going to hold them for long," Maddie said. "Let's get going." Then she took off through the streets of a long-deserted city.  
  
Buffy ran after her.  
  
  
  
Part 3  
  
  
  
"And seeing her sister, she stood atop the building; and her followers awaited below. And she opened her mouth and spoke, saying, listen to me; let my love come forth, for I love you, and always have. These are my good works, which I must do. Give my love to my friends, for thine is the task to care for them. For verily I say to you, that thine task is to be caring of one another. Thine task is to be strong. For the hardest thing in this world is to live in it, and I may do so no longer. So thine final task is to be brave, and to live. Do it in my name." – From the sermon on the tower, Oz 5:1-5:5.  
  
  
  
They'd been running for a minute – dodging through a darkened night full of ruined buildings – when Buffy heard sounds behind them. "I think," she told Maddie, "we're being followed."  
  
"I know," she said. "Which is why we have to hide."  
  
Buffy pointed to the buildings. "All kinds of buildings around here –"  
  
Maddie shook her head. "No. This is where the unredeemed usually live – most of the willows, and those vampires, demons and wolves who aren't Redeemers. Much too dangerous. We need to get to Angel City, where we can hide." In saying this, she threw off her cloak.  
  
"And would that be a matter of minutes, hours, days . . . ?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Hours. If we're lucky and they don't bring out the . . . " There was a pair of howls in the background. "They've got the oz squad. They're going all out on this one. We need to get some distance between us and them."  
  
In one of streets – a mess of twisted, broken stone that at one point looked like it might have been asphalt – Buffy noticed a manhole. "Why don't we try underground?"  
  
"Can't," she said. "That's the route the xanders usually use."  
  
"So it'll be safe, and demonfree . . ."  
  
"And packed with people trying to kill you. You don't understand. This isn't your time, when you could just go running off whenever you felt like it. We have to keep you alive. That means no unnecessary risks."  
  
"I'm thinking making my way back overland through hordes of vampires and demons while being chased by the cops doesn't sound like a stroll in the park."  
  
"You're right," Maddie said. "But underground is guaranteed disaster. This way . . ."  
  
"Unguaranteed disaster?" Buffy asked.  
  
Maddie nodded, then was quiet. "Listen. Do you hear anything?" Buffy shook her head. "Good. This should buy us some time." Then she pulled out a pouch with what looked like oregano and spilled it on the ground. Then she gestured for Buffy to stay where she was, and slowly began sprinkling the substance out down a side street for a few hundred feet. She sprinted back to Buffy and said, "Come on," and to Buffy's surprise, after a hundred feet or so along the trail of herbs, went off in a different direction.  
  
"Wolvesbane, I assume?" Maddie said yes. "Then why didn't we follow it?"  
  
"Throw them off. The xanders'll think we ran off into the alley. Might keep them off our trail for a few minutes. And," she added with a grim smile, "A mile or so down there is where a whole mess of the unredeemed live. If we're lucky, they'll all kill themselves."  
  
A trifle shocked at her casual attitude, Buffy still didn't say anything. Honestly, she was still in too much shock to do anything but play along as best she could. As near as she could tell, this future was somehow based . . . on her life? But all witches were thought of as evil and some vampires were good and people names for Xander wandered around and killed people.  
  
At some point she'd need to find out what the hell had happened, and why these "willows" had decided to bring her 1400 years or so into the future. She mentioned as much to Maddie, who said, "Of course. You'll get the full story when we get back to the city. But right now –"  
  
Too busy staying alive. Buffy got that.  
  
They came to a major crossroads. "That's the fastest way home," she said, pointing straight ahead. "But it'll certainly be watched by the xanders. But over there . . . hmmm."  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Over there's a shrine. They have daily sermons there from the wesleys and occasionally from a holy cordelia." She practically spat out the last two words. "If we hurry, maybe we can mix in and look like we came on a pilgrimage."  
  
"Are we dressed okay?"  
  
"Only the wesleys and cordelias have uniforms. The rest of us . . . well, we should blend in fine. As long as we manage not to throw up or get angry."  
  
About a half hour later, with the broken asphalt having blended into a beautiful wooded area, they came to a building that looked like a combination of a Catholic Church and her house on Revello Drive, complete with a giant cross attacked to a few links of a sculpted chain. As they watched, three vampires walked up to the cross; two embraced it, while the other exhorted them to feel the burn and let it redeem them from their evils. None of them looked like anyone Buffy had ever seen, which was almost a relief.  
  
"We can sneak across now," Maddie said.  
  
They were almost to the shrine entrance when the lead vampire turned and saw them. He said angrily, "And where in Ellay have you ladies been?"  
  
He didn't look happy.  
  
  
  
Part 4  
  
"There was a man sent, whose name was Giles. He came as a Watcher, to watch over the Slayer, that all might through her be redeemed. He was not that Slayer, but was sent to Watch over her. And she was the true Slayer, who redeemeth every one in the world. And Giles watched her and cried, saying, this is she whom I was sent to aid; she that I watcheth is preferred over me: For she is my better." Xander 1:5-1:10  
  
  
  
The vampire continued, irritably, "I know how it is with some of you. Come out here pretending to visit the shrine and end up sneaking off to meet boys in the woods. Right?" He didn't give them a chance to answer, instead shaking his head and saying, "When there's so much you could be learning and contemplating inside, too. It's said, I tell you." His anger visibly dissipated as he gestured at the two vampires behind him. "You know, I was once like these two, wild, full of bloodlust, thinking I could take over the world – and then I heard HER message, and I was redeemed. Don't be like me and think you own the world. Take her teachings to heart."  
  
"We'll do so, sir," Maddie said. "Thank you."  
  
"Just don't do it again," the vampire said. "Now get going. We've got a holy cordelia in there today, and if you hurry you should be able to catch the tail end of her sermon. May the Slayer walk with you."  
  
"And with you as well," Maddie said, and bowed slightly. Buffy did the same, and they walked inside.  
  
An officious-looking man with glasses and wearing a brown robe stood just inside. "The two of you," he said in a very bad attempt at a British accent, "are late."  
  
Again Buffy let Maddie take the world. "Apologies, wesley. We were detained."  
  
"Obviously," the wesley said. "Well then, what are your names?"  
  
"I'm Terrin Madsen," Maddie said. "This is Rose Burgen." Buffy controlled her surprise.  
  
After a few seconds of skimming through a list, the wesley said, "You're both here." He sounded disappointed, as though he'd wanted them not to be. "However," he told Buffy, "Your hair is getting far too pale. You must darken it posthaste."  
  
"We'll do so when we get home," Maddie said in a hurry before Buffy could protest; as they walked in she whispered to Buffy, "Certain . . . hair colors are forbidden. Now remember what I said –"  
  
They walked through an archway – ornate and stylized – and through a set of jarringly plain wooden doors, and found themselves in the main room. Maddie quickly got them a couple of seats and they settled in.  
  
A woman, around forty, with long dark hair was speaking. "People, please!" she said. "These are our lives we're talking about here. And what did the Slayer herself exhort us to do in the sermon on the tower?"  
  
"Live," came the response from the crowd, almost in unison.  
  
"Exactly. And what, may I ask, is the best way to live?"  
  
"Bravely and with caring for others."  
  
"Exactly. Now, are any of us fit to be called Slayers?"  
  
"No!" the crowd shouted. "There is no Slayer but Buffy!"  
  
"And she was the final true Slayer," the woman said. "She was the one who taught us redemption! She was the one who led us through the wilderness of the dark days, when all vampires and demons were to be our enemies! It was she who converted the dark one, Angelus, and made him the first redeemed! It was she who converted the dark one's greatest disciple, Spike! And it was she who brought the betrayer back. Yea, even Faith was redeemed through Buffy! And how was this done?"  
  
"Through love!" the crowd yelled.  
  
"Exactly. Love. Love for one another. Love for her enemies! Even – yes, it's true! Even those who once served the great corruptor, the dark lady of magic! Even the Taraists can be saved through love!"  
  
Muttering from throughout the church.  
  
"Do you not believe me?" she cried. "Do you not believe the words of a holy cordelia? Well, then – believe the former Taraist herself! Mikkelle McHale, stand up and reveal yourself!"  
  
And at the front of the room –  
  
Mikki stood up.  
  
  
  
Part 5  
  
  
  
"And at this time there were also false Slayers; there was Kendra, who was slain by the unredeemed one Darla, and Faith, who was the betrayer. But all could be saved through the Slayer; even the betrayer could be made to see the error of her ways, through the acts of the First Redeemed." The Acts of Angel, 10:1-10:3  
  
  
  
The squad leader of the redeemed was making his report. The head Giles of the northeast quadrant sat impatiently at a table, listening and only asking occasional question.  
  
". . . and then we came in and immediately went after this fake Buffy. But she was good. She killed Sholem and the rest of us couldn't do more than slow her down. This gave that damned willow enough time to cast some kind of storm spell, blew us all back. We'd have gotten through faster if the kendra hadn't tossed a rock at our spy right before she finished her prayers."  
  
"I-is young miss McHale all right?" the Giles asked.  
  
"Yeah, your wisdom; only knocked her out for a second."  
  
Nodding, the Giles said, "Good to hear – she's an important part of the operation. As far as Sholem is concerned, I'll send a note to his sire, but I don't think anyone's actually going to miss him. Go on."  
  
"Right then. So it took us a couple of minutes," the squad leader continued, "But we were finally able to force our way through the wind and break her neck. Fergson wanted to feed; I had to slap him to remind him that we don't want their willow poisons contaminating our bloodstream. Head xander Lovell took Mikki over to the shrine of the Ascension – the holy cordelia wanted her for show-and-tell, apparently. And anyway, we brought in the oz squad to try to track her down, but that last Taraist had some wolfsbane. The oz's sneezed themselves silly, and we lost the trail."  
  
The Giles stood up. "Are you telling me," he said, "That there's an authentic seeming anti-Buffy out there? A kendra who resembles the Redeemer in body, word, and skill? And," he said through gritted teeth, "That you can't find her anymore?"  
  
"The rest of the xanders and redeemed are still out there looking," the squad leader said, "And we've got an oz squad guarding all the obvious ways into the city." Still, he backed away slightly. This Giles was notorious for his foul temper.  
  
"Well, they'd better find her," the Giles said. "Get in touch with Lovell and tell him once he's done making his delivery that he can turn around and get back to the hunt. Also," he sighed. "Get a couple more Children."  
  
The squad leader bowed, afraid to say anything. This Giles' reluctance to use magic was notorious; no matter how much the holy cordelias went on about how the Children's prayers were different from the Taraists', he was still pretty much convinced they were going to hell anyway. "At once, your wisdom."  
  
"And send in Ms. Calendar on your way out," the Giles said dismissively.  
  
"Right then, your wisdom," the redeemed said, and then left the Giles' office. He told the woman sitting in the outer office – her real name was Jonna something – about the Giles' request, and then he left the office, grateful that he hadn't been staked.  
  
His stomach rumbled and he began debating: did he have enough time to grab some food? It rumbled again and he figured he better had. He walked down to the cafeteria and ordered a bottle of O-positive to go, then hurried on his way.  
  
The Giles was not a patient man, after all.  
  
  
  
Part 6  
  
  
  
"I was taken by a vision on the Slayer's day; and I heard a voice, like unto a foghorn, saying, I am zero and one, nothing and all; and, what thou seest, write in a book and send it unto the people which are not here; unto Oz, and unto Riley, and unto those that dwell in Sunnydale, and those that dwell elsewhere." The Revelations of Cordelia 1:10-1:12  
  
  
  
Maddie stiffened and Buffy whispered to her, "How did she get here so fast?"  
  
"If she'd come here flat out she'd have had plenty of time," Maddie said. "Even with that bump on the head you gave her. But if we lay low –"  
  
Two people in the row ahead of them turned and glared, and Buffy and Maddie quit talking. "This woman," the cordelia said. "Less than half a year ago, Mikhelle McHale was a devout Taraist. She lived only for the seductive magicks of the dark lady. But one day – well, let's have her tell her story."  
  
They whispered to each other briefly as Mikki stepped to the podium. "One day a few months back – after a long night of casting vile spells, invoking false and vile powers --" she shuddered. "I was walking home, and I had a blinding headache. And then – and then I saw a vision. It – it was a vision of the Redeemer herself! She told me, 'Mikki, Mikki, Mikki . . . dear Mikki. Why do you struggle so against me? Why do you stray? Look at me.' And then I looked into her eyes, and they were so warm, so loving . . . I knew right then that I'd been wrong to follow the ways of Tara. I came here and confessed my depravities, to the holy cordelia herself. It – it must have been her doing, that the cordelia was here. It's been a long and slow road back to the true path – but I will never follow any other, as long as I live." She wept, and the cordelia moved in to embrace her.  
  
There were tears throughout the church as Mikki returned to her seat. Buffy's mood was a good deal more cynical, although she still didn't have a good grasp on the situation yet. She suspected either some kind of spell, or Maddie of hallucinating, because she sure as hell didn't talk like that. It had been a well-delivered – one might almost say well-rehearsed – speech, though. She still had no clue what was going on, but she was fairly sure she didn't like it.  
  
The cordelia stepped back up to the front, after giving the pilgrims time to regain their composure. "Let this story be an inspiration. NONE are beyond help. Not the darkest willow, not the most debauched Tara-worshiper, not the foulest demon or bloodthirstiest vampire. All may be redeemed through – through –"  
  
"Through Buffy!" some shouted, though after a second it became obvious that the cordelia wasn't doing a shout-and-response routine. She fell to the ground and began moaning in pain. Buffy was about to get up, to see what was going on, when Maddie put an arm on her shoulder and gestured for her to look at everyone else.  
  
And everyone else was NOT rushing to the front of the room, or yelling for help. They were watching intently, but that's all they were doing. A couple of seconds later, the cordelia stood up, took a couple of deep breaths, and said, weakly, "I've just had a vision of my own, from the Truthteller herself. She told me –" she shook her head – "She told me that there are Taraists here – unredeemed ones – mocking our beliefs!"  
  
A gasp from the crowd.  
  
"And –" she said with theatrical weakness – "There they are!"  
  
Of course, she was pointing directly at Buffy and Maddie, but they'd both been ready to bolt at the word undredeemed and were on their feet and running for the door within half a second. Shortly afterwards, the vast mass of congregants charged after them.  
  
The wesley at the shrine entrance had been joined by a couple of his pals; they didn't know exactly what was going on but figured that anyone being chased probably wasn't on their side. They moved to block Buffy and Maddie's exit; a few broken ribs later they'd figured out that maybe that hadn't been a good idea.  
  
Buffy and Maddie made it outside about fifteen seconds ahead of the mob. Fortunately, the three vampires who'd been hugging the cross were gone; it would have been a lot harder to shoulder their way past them. "So what now?" Buffy asked Maddie.  
  
In response, Maddie pointed to something Buffy'd barely noticed coming in; it was shaped like a Greyhound Bus, but colored like a baby harp seal and tracked like a Sherman tank. "Get in," she said, pointing to a passengers' side door. Buffy got in and sat in the seat; a black leathery curtain separated the rest of the bus's interior from the driver's section.  
  
When Maddie ran and jumped in the other side, a few seconds ahead of the crowd, and locked the doors, Buffy asked, "And do you know how to start this thing?"  
  
Maddie muttered an incantation and the vehicle started right up. It took off at a speed of maybe forty miles an hour, smashing Buffy into the back of her seat.  
  
"Warn me next time –" she began, but was interrupted when the three vampires from around the cross poked their heads into the cabin.  
  
"Shouldn't we wait for the rest of them?" their leader asked mildly.  
  
  
  
Part 7  
  
  
  
"And when they came forth once again, there came from out of the dark a certain woman, who had been demon a long time; and her duty was the punishing of men. And when she saw Xander, she said, there, there is a man whom I must discipline; for he hath been unfaithful. But the Slayer would countenance this not; and she had Cordelia, and also Giles, strip her of her powers. And when she was no stronger than a human, Buffy asked her, what is thy name; and she said, Anyanka; for many men had she wrongly condemned. And the Redeemer said, no, no more shalt thou be Anyanka; from here on men shall call you Anya, for you are my favored." Gunn 8:25-8:30  
  
  
  
Maddie flatly said, "No."  
  
"Are you certain?" their leader said. "Because, really, it did look like they really wanted to get on."  
  
"They didn't," Buffy said.  
  
The vampire shooed the other two back into the main compartment, and said, "Literally? You may be telling the truth. From the way they were running I think they wanted to kill you instead. Why is that?"  
  
"Don't ask, don't tell," Buffy said. By this point they had long outdistanced their pursuers.  
  
The vampire raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"  
  
"Never mind," Buffy said. "But we're not stopping."  
  
"Not for a while, yet, anyway," Maddie said.  
  
Unexpectedly, the vampire said, "My name is August. And yours, I suppose, would be Willow? For the both of you?"  
  
Noticing the vampire's lack of overt hostility, Buffy had a sudden thought. "That's right," she said, and before Maddie's horrified look could register with August, "Two willows, searching for the true path but still questioning, chased off by an unfeeling mob."  
  
August said, "Sadly, that's too often the way these things happen. The unredeemed approach on their own, and are as often run off as they are welcomed with open arms. No matter how holy some of the cordelias and wesleys may be, there are too many who still bear this unreasoning prejudice." He clasped an arm on Buffy's shoulder. Buffy struggled to remember not to shake it off.  
  
"So what do we do in the future, redeemed one?" Maddie asked.  
  
August chuckled. "You make certain not to interrupt a pilgrimage, for one. I see it now; you hadn't come in out of the wilderness because you'd arranged to meet boys, you'd come in because that was where you'd been living. And the holy cordelia, instead of celebrating this, instead blindly assumed you'd come in to cause trouble. Do they even teach the story of Anya these days?" He shook his head. "It's a wonder we make any converts at all. Do you both truly wish to learn about the Redeemer?"  
  
"Yes," Maddie and Buffy said, almost in unison.  
  
"Then when we get back to Angel City, come with me." When neither Buffy nor Maddie said anything, August added, "Don't tell me you think I want to drain your blood."  
  
"The thought had crossed my mind," Buffy said before Maddie could stop here.  
  
"I suppose," August said a touch stiffly, "That being brought up on Taraist propaganda you might indeed have cause to fear that. But I swear, by all I hold holy, in the name of the great truthteller Cordelia, that I and mine will do you no harm."  
  
"We believe you," Maddie said quickly.  
  
"Good to know that some trust still exists in the world, even between willows and redeemed." He went back into the bus's interior for a minute, then came forward and said, "We can drop them off at the Northeast Gate, but then you can swing around to the Library entrance."  
  
Maddie's grip tightened on the steering column, though the vampire didn't seem to notice. "Very well."  
  
August nodded. "Now that we have that settled, I have to go in the back and give more instructions to the initiates. If you'll excuse me –"  
  
Whispering, Buffy asked Maddie, "What's wrong with the Library gate?"  
  
"That's the private entrance of the highest authorities in Angel City," Maddie whispered back. "The Council meets there; the Visionary herself lives underneath."  
  
"Means very little to me," Buffy said. "Who are the Council and the Visionary?"  
  
"The Council is the ruling body of Angel City. The Visionary is the leader of the first Church of Sunnydale, Redeemed – that's the official name of the church based on your life."  
  
"So August is taking us –"  
  
"Right into the midst of our worst enemies. This is –"  
  
"Terrible?" Buffy suggested.  
  
Then Maddie smiled. "This is WONDERFUL."  
  
Okay, NOW Buffy was confused.  
  
  
  
Part 8  
  
"Angel, beloved of Buffy Summers, and by her saved, unto the disciple of Buffy who is in Belize, I send greetings. Peace and strength be on you, in her name and your own; may your works be fruitful. I am grateful that when I could not be her rock, that you were there in my stead; that her works were continued, through you." First Initiative, 1:1-1:5  
  
  
  
Roper Sturtgaard was not a patient man.  
  
It was perhaps his greatest failing as a Giles; he had the physical abilities, the intelligence, and the leadership qualities sufficient to rise to one of the highest posts in Angel City's northeast quadrant. But he lacked long-term vision. He had been informed, by no less than the voice of the Visionary herself, that the Taraists were about to hatch their most nefarious scheme yet; that the most authentic anti-Buffy ever was coming, and it was his job to stop it. Yet –  
  
He hadn't yet. And it was driving him close to insane. If he ever wished to achieve a seat on the council –  
  
Well, he'd damned well better succeed, then, right?  
  
Roper waited in his office for an update for quite a while. When Ms. Calendar announced that a call was coming in, he instructed her to let it come through. "Giles?" came the voice of xander Lovell. "You there, man?"  
  
"I'm here," the Giles said. "Report."  
  
"No go," he said. "They were at the shrine – Mikki saw them. But they stole the transport and got away."  
  
"How many people were there in the church?"  
  
"I'd say a good couple hundred, counting all the wesleys and the cordelia," Lovell said. "But you have to remember, only the wesleys and I had training –"  
  
Slamming his fist on his desk, Roper said, "I have to remember nothing of the sort. We, we have one of the most dangerous kendras ever, plus a willow who is no slouch in her own right, and the efforts of two oz squads, one squad of redeeemed and a whole cadre of xanders can't even slow them down?"  
  
Evenly, Lovell said, "They were fast and they hijacked a bus. PLUS we have the oz squad following the bus. So far they've tracked it to the Northeast entrance, but only thing that got off there were a couple of vamps."  
  
"Beat it out of them if you have to," the Giles said.  
  
"Will do, boss-man," Lovell said. "Wait – hold on a second." A few minutes later, he came back. "They went to the Library Gate."  
  
"Then they were stopped."  
  
"That's the odd thing. They weren't."  
  
"No spell would have been able to permit their entry," Roper said. "I warned all the gates a half hour ago. Find out who was sleeping at their post, and report them."  
  
"Gotcha," Lovell said, and to be fair he sounded as annoyed as the Giles was. "I'll take care of it personally."  
  
"See that you do. Giles out." Then he called Ms. Calendar. "Is the Council in session?" When word came back that they were, he said, "Good. Tell them I'm coming."  
  
It took him a mere forty minutes to get to the Council Chambers, but it seemed more like three hours. He waited outside the grand double doors until the wesleys guarding them stepped aside and permitted him entrance.  
  
Roper was always a bit unnerved entering the council chamber. Not because of the room itself, which resembled nothing more than a library with a sunken area for the chamber table – the reason, in fact, that the complex was called "The Library." But here were the most important people in Angel City. Seated around the table were Ankha, the lead demon among the redeemed, and Salt, the leader of the ozzes; the Master vampire was nowhere in sight. Plus his own personal supervisor, Antony Supra; the chief of all the Xanders, Bendon Knight; and a five-woman panel of holy cordelias. For the moment, cordelia Reegan was Council head.  
  
But most troubling of all were the floating eyes that held sway in the center of the table, which belonged to the Visionary. Those dark brown eyes were said to see all in Angel City, and often enough the Visionary had known things that no one else possibly could – things Roper kept from everybody, even his closest compatriots.  
  
But from the Visionary, there were no secrets, apparently; at least none if she wanted to find them out.  
  
And those eyes . . .  
  
"Giles Sturtgaard," spoke cordelia Reegan, "You have some news for us concerning the latest kendra?"  
  
"Indeed," Roper said, "And, much as it pains me to say –" he gave them a quick rundown of what had happened.  
  
When he was done, they all began speaking at once. Giles Supra said, "You mean they're here? In the Library Complex? How –"  
  
The Visionary's languorous voice filled the room, and her eyes bore down on each of the council members in turn. "Peace," she said. "All will be peaceful." Everyone shut up very quickly, and the Visionary's gaze came to rest on Roper Sturtgaard. "Worry is a useless thing, Roper, a useless thing indeed. For I knew of her coming; it was foretold a long time ago. She was to come to my heart. So do all or do nothing and it would have been the same; she was destined to arrive."  
  
The Visionary often spoke in near-riddles, but it didn't take Roper very long to figure this out. "Does that mean I've been doing all of this for nothing? All of this scrambling of xanders, the redeemed – none of it made a damn bit of difference?"  
  
"Hold your tongue, Sturtgaard," Giles Supra said. "You forget who you're talking to."  
  
"Peace," the Visonary said. "He remembers. But for just a teensy moment – he didn't care." The gaze once again focused in on Roper; he tried to turn away but found he could not. The gaze grew until it was all he could see.  
  
It certainly was the LAST thing he saw.  
  
  
  
Part 9  
  
  
  
"Then she spake also this parable: A certain group of demons did come into the town, and sought to steal voices; for only when we were without voices could they do their evil. And it was taught, that even though the voices had been stolen, still if one could scream, then would the demons perish. They looked high and low throughout the kingdom, for one who could speak, and all were silent; for they were sore afraid of these demons, and what they could do. But finally the princess of the kingdom found her voice, and spake; and the demons fled." Giles 13:6-13:9  
  
  
  
They made it through the Library Gate with no trouble at all, once August spoke to the guards. This made Maddie even more nervous; she said just before they passed through, "There are only a few beings who can pass through this gate without at least getting a quick lookover; if August is one of them –"  
  
The next thing she remembered, they were well through the gate, and driving through a combination government square/armed camp. To her right was a building that was a more or less exact replica of Sunnydale High, only about twice as big. To her left was the grandest cathedral she'd ever seen. Maddie told her, "You blacked out for a few seconds. The Library Gate has a permanent enchantment on it – nullifies all magical effects on anything and everyone coming through. It's to make sure no shapechanger or witch tries to sneak through and do the higher-ups dirty. There must have been enough magic still lingering on you from the ritual –"  
  
Buffy knew BS when she heard it, even if it was high quality. But before she could call Maddie on it, August said, "Pull up here," in front of a stylized cemetery. Two wesleys ran up and said, "Now see here, you can't park this here –" only to shut up when August walked out of the rear of the bus. "A thousand pardons, Master," they said. "We didn't realize –"  
  
"No need to worry," August said mildly. "This isn't my usual vehicle anyway. Be sure to give it to the xanders when they come, would you?" Then, to Maddie and Buffy, "Come on, then; the road to redemption can be long and hard, so you may as well start as soon as you can." He led them through the graveyard into a large mausoleum. He noticed the odd look on Buffy's face. "I know," he said. "I'd rather be living in a nice house. But tradition demands I live in a crypt, so . . . come in."  
  
It wasn't like a crypt at all inside, if you ignored the coffin in the middle of the room. "Have a seat, ladies," he said, "And . . . ah. Here you are." He gave Maddie and Buffy each a pair of books; Buffy looked at the titles of hers, amazed she could even read it after 1300 years; one was called The Testament of the Redeemer and seemed to be the Bible-equivalent, though it certainly would have given Jerry Falwell a heart attack. It wasn't that short of giving HER one.  
  
The other seemed to be a children's book. "I apologize for giving you a book designed for children," August said. "But it seemed like the best introduction." He went over and locked the door in some manner Buffy couldn't see. "For privacy, you understand."  
  
Maddie said, "Yes, Master. Thank you."  
  
Again the vampire chuckled. "I told you, my name is August," he said. "I've never liked titles." Then he tapped his stomach. "If you'll excuse me? It's been a long time since I've fed." Then he walked through a door and was out of sight.  
  
"The MASTER?" Buffy asked.  
  
"As far as that goes," Maddie said, "We actually got off lucky. This Master has an excellent reputation for playing fair." She put the books aside and sank back in the chair. "This – this isn't what we had in mind. You were supposed –"  
  
"Yes," Buffy said. "What was I supposed to do? Why in the HELL did you rip me from my life and drag me here?"  
  
"What do Slayers always do?" Maddie said. "You were going to save us. You were going to show the Redeemers that what they thought about the willows was wrong!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It was in the prophecy!"  
  
Disbelieving, Buffy said, "I have enough trouble dealing with prophecies in my own time – I don't have to deal with yours. You can just send me back."  
  
"Like Ellay," Maddie said. "Rose and Hacker died to bring you here."  
  
"And I'm sorry, but I didn't ask to be brought."  
  
Maddie turned her head and wouldn't talk. In the distance, something chimed like the ringing of a phone.  
  
Having nothing else to do, Buffy opened one of the books and began to read.  
  
  
  
Part 10  
  
  
  
"And a woman, who was called Veruca, did come to Sunnydale; and she served the Dark Lady, and besought to tempt Oz, beloved of Willow. For Veruca was wolf, like him; and never had he known another of his kind, and sorely was he tempted. But at the last, when the choice had to be made, he chose Willow, and the ways of the Slayer; and he slew Veruca where she stood. But then Oz was sore afraid; for never before had he killed in anger. And he left Sunnydale to do his works elsewhere. But this pleased the Dark Lady, for now her corruption of Willow could begin." Oz 8:25-8:31  
  
  
  
The children's book was a kind of introductory primer, Buffy guessed, written for fairly stupid ten-year olds. First there was an introduction:  
  
"This is an exciting time in any young child's life! For years your parents have taken you to the shrines, to the churches; and we know that you would have rather been out playing, but these were important to you. Because it was there you first heard about the Great Redeemer, the First Redeemed, the Betrayer, the Dark Lady of Magic, and the Truthteller. As exciting as any adventure, only the Redeemer's adventures were real! She really did walk the same earth you tread today. At one point she was a real little girl named Buffy Summers, but she wasn't just like you. Buffy Summers had a destiny . . ."  
  
Then there was a "LISTING OF IMPORTANT PERSONS" and a brief description of who they were. Most of these were true only in the most general terms.  
  
ANGELUS: A fierce unredeemed vampire, for generations he did great evil, until he met the Slayer and was transformed through love of her. As ANGEL, he was the Redeemer's greatest disciple, and, as the First Redeemed, spread the news of her throughout ELLAY. It is in his honor that the town is now called Angel City.  
  
THE DARK LADY: Also known as the Corruptor. The Dark Lady is the vile patron of all evil magics; she seduced WILLOW away from the side of good. Her real name must not be spoken except by those who are protected from her evil ways.  
  
DAWN: Buffy's sister, who began life as a ball of energy until she came to the Slayer for protection from the foul demon, GLORY. But when she came to Buffy, she was changed; and Buffy took care of her for the rest of her life.  
  
GUNN: A holy warrior, born on the streets of ELLAY, who became the disciple and ally of the First Redeemed. Known to have written both the holy book that bears his name, and the Acts of Angelus.  
  
And so on.  
  
Then there was the story of her life, which again bore only a nodding resemblance to the truth.  
  
"Spike, in his newly redeemed eagerness to please the Slayer, had a golem built that looked like her. (A golem is an artificial human.) He took this golem to the unredeemed vampires and demons, using it to protect the innocent, and punish the guilty. Because of this, the demon Glory kidnapped Spike and tried to get him to betray the Slayer; but his love for her was so great, he did not succumb to her. And eventually the Slayer and her disciples came to rescue him, letting Glory go her own way for the moment – because the Slayer knew the demon's time had not yet come."  
  
Buffy put it aside and stood up – she was about to make some kind of conciliatory gesture to Maddie when August came back in, drinking a bottle of blood. When he was finished he threw the bottle into some kind of trash receptacle and said, with a bit of a sour look on his face, "I've never been able to get used to drinking it refrigerated." Then he clapped his hands and said, "How have the two of you been doing? Getting anything out of the books?"  
  
"Quite a bit, actually," Buffy said. Maddie also nodded.  
  
Just as conversationally, the Master said, "Who are you?"  
  
"Um, Terrin Madsen and Rose Burgen," Maddie said.  
  
"No. The ringing you heard was a message from the Council, mentioning that a willow and a kendra had recently escaped from a patrol – and that they were last seen fleeing the Shrine of the Ascension in a stolen bus."  
  
"Wow, what a coincidence," Buffy said.  
  
One look at August's face told Buffy he wasn't buying it for a second. Right then. The time for bluffing was over. Buffy grabbed Maddie's arm and ripped open the front door –  
  
And found herself facing a combined squad of about thirty xanders, demons, and vampires. As Buffy steeled herself for a desperate attack, August said, "Please don't. I actually like both of you and I'd hate to see you get killed." Then, disappointedly, he said, "I should have figured it out. You look – you look remarkably like the pictures I've seen of the Redeemer. You're probably the most skillful kendra the willows have come up with yet. If I didn't know better – I would swear you actually WERE Buffy Summers."  
  
Figuring her cover had been blown, Buffy said. "I AM Buffy Summers."  
  
August took Buffy's arm gently and poked and prodded. And to Buffy's astonishment, a section came off –  
  
Revealing wires?  
  
"No," August said. "You're not."  
  
  
  
Part 11  
  
  
  
"And to Angel of the town of Ellay write; these things saith the redeemer, who was dead twice, yet lived; I know thy works, thy trials and tribulations, and I know the apostasy of those who say they are Slayers, yet are not, but instead league with the Dark Lady. Fear her not; though she may have you beaten, or thrown into prison, stray not from the path of redemption; for through redemption shalt thou triumph over heresy." Revelations of Cordelia, 2:8-2:10  
  
  
  
As August slid the panel back into place, all Buffy could do was gawp and go, "Wha—"  
  
"You are a golem," August said. "A mechanical heresy in the guise of the true Slayer."  
  
Recovering a bit, Buffy said, "Am not."  
  
"Do you think I made up those wires in your arm?" August asked.  
  
"No, but, but –" Buffy said. "I mean, I remember that damn robot. She was happy and perky and pretty incompetent at being anything but a sex toy. And that's – that ISN'T ME."  
  
"As I said," August said. "Do you disbelieve the wires?"  
  
Angrily, Buffy turned to Maddie. "Well?"  
  
"You're right," Maddie said. "You're not that robot."  
  
Buffy caught it immediately. "Not. THAT. Robot?"  
  
"No. Willows have . . . resources that the Redeemers don't dare look at. One of them was a set of instructions written by –"  
  
"Some guy named Warren?" Buffy said frostily.  
  
Confused, Maddie said, "No, Ted. Anyway, we followed the instructions and we made a woman in the form of Buffy Summers. But no matter what we did, we couldn't animate it. Couldn't give her a –"  
  
"A soul?" August said sharply. "Surely not. You were dabbling in magicks far darker than you had any right to."  
  
Maddie said, "Not a soul. A mind."  
  
Buffy said, "And?"  
  
"It took – it took three generations of willows to come up with a spell that would produce more than a," and she looked at Buffy as she said this, "sex toy." Buffy apparently still looked confused, because Maddie added, "We COPIED the mind of Buffy Summers onto yours. You have all of her memories up until . . . whenever we managed to copy from. But the Master is right. You're not, technically, their Redeemer."  
  
"Your Redeemer as well, if only you'd accept her," August said. "With every word you condemn yourselves more and more."  
  
"So?" Maddie demanded. "I've already been condemned. The xanders killed two of my friends already tonight; why do you think after you hand us over that we're going to live even five minutes?"  
  
At this August frowned; he said, "I give you my word that will not happen." Then he walked over and addressed the squad leaders waiting outside. "The willow in here thinks you're going to kill her immediately."  
  
"Those are our orders," the vampire leader said. "Right from the Council itself. Kill the willow, drag in the kendra."  
  
"I order otherwise," August said.  
  
"You can't countermand a Council order," the head xander said. Buffy recognized him as the same guy who'd tried to have her killed earlier tonight. "Xanders –"  
  
August interrupted him. "Vampires, you follow MY orders. If the xanders or demons move in, stop them." The vampire leader looked at August like he was crazy, but reluctantly moved in to block the door. "Now," August said to the head xander. "We can have a bloodbath, if you like."  
  
For a second no one said anything; then the xander said, "I don't. This is way out of my experience. You want them alive, fine. It's on your neck, though."  
  
August gestured for Buffy and Maddie to walk outside. They did so, and began a long walk to somewhere across the compound. Buffy was glad things hadn't gotten to a melee, because ever since Maddie had made her revelation she'd been distracted.  
  
So what she was was the memories of Buffy Summers, inside a body that wasn't hers.  
  
She wasn't Buffy Summers at all.  
  
More like some kind of mechanical vampire.  
  
  
  
Part 12  
  
  
  
"And after this Giles, being the Watcher of Buffy, but secretly for fear of the council, besought aid so that he might take away the body of Buffy. Her disciples came to help, and they took her away. There came also Spike, and Xander, who took the body by night, and placed it in a simple coffin, in the manner of the times it was to bury. Now in the place where she died, the building stood empty; and in the cemetery a new grave, wherein never was woman yet laid. There they laid her in secret; for none could know the time and place of her passing." Xander 19:38-19:42  
  
  
  
Buffy – and she might as well keep calling herself that, for convenience's sake if nothing else – walked along, still lost in thought.  
  
She had no idea what this "Council" might consist of, though she guessed it was kind of a coalition government-type deal; still, even with August's dubious protection, she, like Maddie, didn't figure they were long for this earth. And –  
  
When she'd been copied from, had been less than a month after her friends had dragged her out of heaven. She still hadn't adjusted, fully, although Spike was the only one who'd known that. And now she'd never get there, if Maddie was right and she was just memories. Minds didn't go to heaven by themselves, and the real Buffy's soul and body were long since gone.  
  
Which was very depressing but meant she'd have to adjust her attitude. Depressed fatalism wasn't going to do her any good. Death (not deactivation, DEATH) was no longer something she had to look forward to. If this body was destroyed, it'd be forever.  
  
All of which she had powerful reasons for wanting to stay alive. Which meant she had to figure out a way out of this; if Maddie tried any kind of spell she'd have a half-dozen people on her in seconds, and even though Buffy despised being used the way she had been, from all she could tell Maddie was still far more firmly on the side of the good guys than most of these Redeemers were.  
  
Still, she couldn't fight her way out through thirty assorted thugs, demons and vampires, even at top strength; and if she were in a body patterned after the plans of Ted (Ted? EUUUUUWW!!!!) then she wasn't there, no matter that the reflexes were. So if she was going to grab Maddie and make a break for it she was going to have to wait until it wasn't quite so suicidal.  
  
August, showing either courage or stupidity, was walking in the center next to them. It would be easy for Buffy to take him hostage and try to get out that way . . . but first, that would only get them so far (and that was assuming it even worked; this bunch of maniacs, from all she'd seen, might very well come after them anway), and second, August had been the one being here who'd been honorable and she really DIDN'T want to do him any dirt.  
  
So she asked questions. "Master?" she asked, though the word stuck in her throat slightly.  
  
"No talking," one of the xanders said, clouting her on the back of the head.  
  
August called the procession to a halt. Then he picked the xander up by the scruff of the neck, and threw him to the ground. "Don't do that again. These are our prisoners. Have you xanders all forgotten the Redeemers' word that easily?"  
  
"The Redeemer was strong against her enemies," the xander said, getting up.  
  
"True," August said. "But she did not torture them once they'd given up. The golem and the willow have done so." Then, to the head xander, "If that happens again, Lovell, take care of it yourself."  
  
"At your command, Master," Lovell said, though it was abundantly clear he didn't like it.  
  
"Now," August said, looking at Buffy. "What was your question?"  
  
"What's all of this about the color of our hair?"  
  
"Only the Redeemer," August said, "is good enough to have blonde hair, and no one is permitted red hair. All others in the Testament save the Slayer who had hair of those colors – Willow, Amy Madison, Darla, the Dark Lady – was or became a tool of evil." At Buffy's skeptical look, August said, "I can see from your face that your . . . programming, as it were, is to believe otherwise."  
  
"Damn right," Buffy said. "Yeah, Darla was a villain, all right. But Amy? WILLOW?"  
  
Affecting a sigh, August said, "As I said. You were told otherwise."  
  
"No, I remember otherwise."  
  
As they drew steadily closer to the oversized building in the shape of Sunnydale High, Buffy asked August other questions and got oblique or vaguely offensive answers. Buffy supposed that if Jesus of Nazareth had somehow popped into the twentieth century pre-crucifixion he would have been a little surprised, too. Only Jesus had, by some accounts, been the son of God; by others at least a prophet. And Buffy knew full well that all she'd ever been was someone with a gift. Certainly no one to build a religion around.  
  
Eventually she gave up, apparently to August's relief. An honorable vampire he may have been, but when it came to orthodoxy he had trouble with dissenting opinions. He was unfailingly polite, though.  
  
A surprise; the building was like the high school inside as well. And, surprise surprise, they were headed to where the Library had been. Only it was grandiose, the double doors were made of solid stone, and there was a sign reading "Council Chamber" over the doorway.  
  
Guards stood outside. August said, "I have brought them for questioning. Stand aside. They did so, amazingly, with no dissent, and he, Buffy and Maddie entered the Council Chamber.  
  
  
  
Part 13  
  
  
  
"And when they had blindfolded her, they made her strike blows against an enemy and said, Slayer, who is it thou attacketh? And why do thou not strike thus? And many other questions they asked. And as soon as it was over, the elder and the lesser members came together and took her into their council, saying, Art thou the Slayer? Tell us. And she said unto them, you know that I am, but do not believe. And when I ask you why you do this, you will not answer me, nor let me go. Then said they all, we have knowledge thou seeketh; thine task is to do our bidding, not we yours, And she said, but thou needeth me more than I do you; for without me thine hope of defeating Glory is nil. And they relented." Gunn 22:64-22:70  
  
  
  
Of course, it looked like the Library inside, although it was a lot bigger, the rare books cage was replaced by a cell, and the table was big enough to seat a baseball team. Around it sat five women, two men, a demon and a werewolf. A couple of the vampires and xander Lovell, who'd trailed them into the room, took them and put them inside the cell.  
  
August moved around the table and grabbed a seat next to the head of the table. "Xander Lovell," the woman sitting at the head said, "Your instructions were to kill them."  
  
As the xander began to bow and scrape, August said, "I changed the instructions, Reegan."  
  
"What, what gives you the authority?" one of the men asked.  
  
Tiredly, the vampire said, "My seat here gives me the authority, Supra. You know that. Quit posturing."  
  
"In any event," the woman named Reegan said, "Now that they're here –"  
  
"No," August said. "How do we convert the dead?"  
  
An argument began, during which Buffy sidled over to Maddie. "Answer me a few things."  
  
"Aren't you still angry at me?" the willow asked.  
  
Buffy said. "I'm a robot and I have no shot at getting back to heaven. So yeah, you could say I'm kinda pissed. But right now I'm trying to improve our chances of getting out alive."  
  
"I'm not completely up on the politics," Maddie said, "But if the Council's determined to kill us there's not a whole lot August can do on his own."  
  
But despite Maddie's earlier fears it didn't seem that August was on his own. One of the women – a cordelia named Verity – was in full agreement, as was the other human man (Xander Knight). Still, if things came to a vote –  
  
Maddie broke into Buffy's line of thoughts with, "I am sorry about this. Our prophecies said different, and the spell –" Then she broke off. "Wait."  
  
"What?"  
  
Thoughtfully, Maddie said, "It was Mikki who came up with the spell. But that was only a couple of weeks ago."  
  
Buffy caught it immediately. "After she'd converted to . . . well, me worship." Maddie nodded. "You're right. There's something odd here."  
  
But it looked like they wouldn't have time to figure out. The argument was over, apparently, and August and Xander Knight didn't look very happy. A group of soldiers and vampires came into the cell and dragged them out. "Now," cordelia Reegan said, "That we have THAT settled, kill them."  
  
At the word "kill," Buffy spun and kicked one of the vampires in the face, ready to take as many of the bastards as possible with her.  
  
Right then --  
  
A voice pierced the chamber. "Peace!" it yelled.  
  
Everyone halted, and Buffy spun towards the source of the voice, amazed. A pair of probing, dark brown eyes had appeared above the table. Cordelia Reegan said, "What is your wish, Visionary?"  
  
"This," the voice said, "this happened at my instigation. You are not to kill these girls."  
  
A "Yes, Visionary," in unison, from around the room.  
  
The eyes caught Maddie's. The willow squealed and fell to her knees. "Comfort her, make sure she's all warm and cozy," the voice of the Visionary said. "As for this one –"  
  
The eyes turned on Buffy, but Buffy didn't feel anything except the age and the power behind the gaze. "I have use for her. Bring her to me."  
  
"Yes, Visionary," again in unison.  
  
And suddenly the pieces, some of them, fell into place.  
  
And while the eyes were a clue, the voice was the answer.  
  
Only one person talked like that.  
  
DRUSILLA.  
  
  
  
Part 14  
  
  
  
"I will come to visions and revelations from the Redeemer. I knew a vampire some time ago (whether old or young, I cannot tell); such a one as had already been redeemed. How she was caught up in her thoughts, and heard unspeakable words, and saw unknowable things; and they took her from her madness. Lest she should be exalted above measure through the sincerity of her revelations, she did hide her identity, and sought not to impart her visions unto any that did not have need of knowing; for the power of the Redeemer had come to her." Second Initiative, 12:1-12:7  
  
  
  
August escorted Buffy downstairs, flanked by two "redeemed" and two xanders. "The Visionary," he said, "Rarely sees anyone. You should feel honored."  
  
"Hate to say this, August," Buffy said, "But I know who Your Visionary is. And trust me, I'm FAR from honored. More like completely wigged out."  
  
Grumblings from the guards, which August silenced with a glare. "As the Visionary said, peace." Then, to Buffy, "It's not possible for you to have met the Visionary. She wasn't created until after the Redeemer's time."  
  
"Really?" Buffy said, as they reached the basement – and finally the Sunnydale High resemblance was broken. The room they ended up in was massive and well-vaulted.  
  
"Yes," August said. "From the stories, she would have been brought into existence sometime around the year 100. Long after the Slayer passed from the earth."  
  
"And how did you learn this?" Buffy asked.  
  
August paused. "Why, from the mouth of the Visionary."  
  
"No other evidence?"  
  
"The words of the Testament she compiled, in the name of the Redeemer's sacrifice."  
  
"And you know the Testament is accurate because . . . "  
  
"Because the Visionary so told us." Of course, circular reasoning. Buffy didn't bother trying to point this out; it had never worked before.  
  
They crossed the marble vault – empty, it echoed eerily – and walked to a room on the far end with one solid steel door. "The Visionary," August said, "Lives in here. She very rarely comes out any more; only a few hand- picked servants are permitted inside to see her. None of whom are the five of us."  
  
And the Visionary's languid voice could be heard throughout the room, saying, "You may all go." The four guards simply turned and left; August gave Buffy a deep bow before also departing.  
  
Then the door squeaked open. "Won't you come into my parlor?" the voice said.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Buffy said, walking inside, expecting some kind of Victorian nightmare décor. Instead, it was utterly barren except for a bed, chair and table in the center of the room. A figure moved in the near- darkness. "Feel free to turn on the lights," Buffy said. "Wouldn't want me tripping over anything, would you, Dru?"  
  
Buffy could hear the smile in the voice. "Ah, Buffy. I should have known you'd figure it out. You're a smart girl – no. A smart machine. My apologies." And then, "There is a switch of sorts a few feet down the wall. If you need to use it, please do . . ."  
  
After she flipped the switch and a dim light permeated the room, Buffy walked towards the chair on which Dru sat. When she got there . . .  
  
Drusilla'd gotten monstrous.  
  
The only parts of her Buffy even recognized were the hair, the eyes, and the voice. As for the rest –  
  
Buffy was put in mind of Kakistos. Drusilla's face was in severe vampiric mode. Her teeth protruded; her ridges were many, and inches thick. Her body was a mis-shapen mass only vaguely resembling a human's; her hands had only three fingers, and her feet two toes. It was like Kakistos had had a sex- change operation and been worked over by the Hulk.  
  
"What the hell happened to you?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Two things," Drusilla said. "I got old . . . and I got sane."  
  
"You started a religion based on me," Buffy said. "Not seeing the sanity. Or why a VAMPIRE would do this."  
  
Almost shyly, she said, "Would you like to hear this?"  
  
"I would LOVE to hear this."  
  
  
  
Part 15  
  
  
  
"And she said unto him, not a thing is simple; constantly, do I try to work it out for myself. Who to love, hate, trust. The more I know, the more confused do I get. And the Watcher saith in answer, it is growimg up. In answer to him, the Redeemer saith, it doth never get easy. Then she slew the traitor Ford. And the Watcher said unto her in grave jest, this thing we call life, truly it is easy; the heroes are always stalwart and true, the villains are plain to see by their pointed horns, and always do we win, and everyone doth live happily ever after. And knowing him to be jesting, she answered, liar." Giles 10:17-10:21  
  
  
  
"I mean," Buffy continued, "YOU founded a religion where I was the central figure? Doesn't really speak much to your so-called sanity, Dru."  
  
"That's because I wasn't sane when I started it. I was all mad with revenge. Two men who'd once loved me, loved you. And so I made you a Redeemer, through whom all could be saved. It took me decades to write the scriptures, to find out where you were and what you said. Magic is a powerful tool, you know; tease it often enough and it'll purr like a kitten. And then I started the process of conversion."  
  
"Your eyes," Buffy said. "You hypnotized people into believing in me." Then she thought about that a second. "That's a whole lot of people."  
  
Smiling, Dru said, "Really, Buffy. My powers have gotten much stronger as I've gotten older, but that many people? That would be sheer lunacy, and quite impossible."  
  
Buffy caught on to something else. "That's you giving the visions, right? I mean, I listened to one of the "Children of Buffy" and she was going on about the vision she had of the Redeemer – and her warm, loving eyes. That was you."  
  
Drusilla's smile got even wider. "Indeed it was. That was part of my . . . plan to bring you here to me, now. As for the rest, the holy cordelias and all . . . they tend to be selected because they already have a propensity. The falling on the ground is a show, though."  
  
"And this business about sticking Darla in the 'testament' in your place?"  
  
"Misdirection, of course," Dru said. "If no one knew of my existence . . . no one would be able to figure out that I was their visionary."  
  
"So," Buffy said after a few seconds, "I steal your honeys and you make me the messiah."  
  
"Many founders of great religions tend to be a little mad, Buffy," was the vampire's reply. "Though usually not up to my standards."  
  
"I would say not. So when you got sane –"  
  
Affecting a sigh, Drusilla said, "When I regained my sanity, the First Church of Sunnydale Redeemed was already a few hundred years old and had hundreds of thousands of believers, humans, vampires, demons, werewolves . . ."  
  
"Which you could have turned into an undead army, and taken over the world." Buffy leaned over until she was staring directly into Drusilla's face. "Let's not forget the Judge, Acathla . . ."  
  
"They were to DESTROY the world," Drusilla said. "Not to rule it."  
  
Buffy shrugged. "True enough, I suppose."  
  
A pause; then Drusilla asked, "Could you get me a vial of blood from the refrigerator in the corner? I could get it myself, but –" she held out her deformed feet – "walking is difficult. My feet are hard and cold and I can't feel the floor."  
  
It wasn't a big deal; Buffy walked over to a small cabinet and opened it. Inside were hundreds of tubes of blood. She grabbed one and brought it over. Slowly, Drusilla drained it dry, licking her lips afterwards. "!500 years and I still love the taste. All salty."  
  
"So who does the blood come from?"  
  
"Donors, some of it – it's an honor to help the Redeemed. Most of the rest from criminals."  
  
"What, kill 'em, carve 'em up for parts?"  
  
This time her laugh was bitter. "Too violent for the Redeemer. They are simply required to donate. Now," she said, shifting tone and rising unsteadily to her feet, "I suppose you're wondering why I asked you here."  
  
"Now that you mention it –"  
  
"Did you read much of your testament? I'll save you the trouble. At the end, in Revelations, it mentions that in the time of the world's greatest need you will return. Kind of like King Arthur; the once and future Slayer, you are."  
  
"And?" Buffy didn't like where this was going.  
  
Again almost shyly, Drusilla said, "So I was thinking of holding a second coming. Want to come?"  
  
  
  
Part 16  
  
  
  
"And she spake a parable unto them, saying, the actions of a certain vampire brought forth a curse; and he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, for I have no wish to die, yet my actions are sour in my heart, And he said, this will I do: I will leave my home, and wander, and do harm to none, and ponder my evils. And I will say to my soul, soul, thou hast been absent too many years; suffer thine pain, brood and be miserable. But one called Whistler, a servant of neither darkness nor light, said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then to what purpose all of this brooding? So are they that dwell overmuch on the past, and think not to turn their actions towards the future." – Gunn 12:16-12:21  
  
  
  
"Dru," Buffy said, "Whoever told you you weren't crazy? Get your money back."  
  
"No, no," Drusilla said, "I'm quite sane now. And this – this is why you're here. You've come back to save the world in the hour of its greatest need." She smiled widely. "At least, that's what you're going to tell them before we begin our campaign." She stood up and faced Buffy directly.  
  
"And why," Buffy said, backing slowly away from the obviously still-mad vampire, "in the HELL would I do that? In case you don't remember, I don't like you, I don't like this religion you've developed, I don't like . . . campaign?"  
  
"Of course, campaign. Silly girl. You didn't think we'd be able to save the world from those evil, evil willows without a campaign, do you? No, you've come back to lead us all to victory over those nasty witches."  
  
"Uh-uh. Well, it's been fun, but I think I'll be killing you now."  
  
"No . . . I don't believe you will," Drusilla said.  
  
Sarcastically, Buffy said, "And how were you planning to stop me? You're a lot less mobile than you used to be."  
  
"Motion is not all in the body," Drusilla said. "Quite a bit of it . . . is in the mind." She gestured with an arm behind Buffy . . .  
  
And there were a half dozen people standing there, two of whom Buffy recognized. There was the squad leader, xander Lovell, and his traitor girlfriend, Mikki; plus four others, two demons, two vampires. "Please," the Visionary spoke to her subjects, "Subdue the kendra."  
  
Buffy recognized the "Child of Buffy" as being the most dangerous one present, so she picked up Drusilla's chair and tossed it across the room, catching Mikki in the chest and knocking her down. Then, figuring the best defense was a good offense, she charged into them, trying to break through and into the main chamber.  
  
She had no idea what she'd do if she got there, but she figured her odds were at least marginally better if she got room to run. She punched one of the vampires in the face, spun and elbowed a demon in the temple, and kicked Lovell in the balls.  
  
A thrust here, a dodge there . . . she could keep this up all night if she had to . . .  
  
A half minute more and there was her opening. She shoved the just-rising Lovell aside and sprinted for the doorway . . .  
  
And came skidding to a stop when she found another fifty or so assorted humans, vampires and demons standing in the room outside.  
  
From behind her she heard Drusilla's voice, "See? I have learned something over the years . . ."  
  
And then Buffy felt nothing for quite a while.  
  
When she "awoke," she was unable to move, lying on an ersatz operating room table, for all that the room looked more like a machine shop than a hospital. And why not? All she really was was a machine, anyway, a mechanical vampire . . .  
  
Hold it.  
  
Vampires' memories came from their human host's mind, but their capacity for evil came from their demon and their lack of a soul. If all she was was Buffy Summers' mind . . .  
  
Why was she acting like Buffy Summers would have?  
  
Even without a demon to provide a push towards evil, she shouldn't have given a good goddamn about Drusilla's plan. But she did. The "willows" were by and large innocent victims in all of this; Maddie, Rose, poor unlamented Hacker . . . even Mikki had been manipulated by Drusilla and her wandering eyes.  
  
And Buffy DIDN'T like it.  
  
Which meant that either she had Buffy's soul as well . . . or at least someone's . . .  
  
Or that minds, on their own, could be ethical, and moral.  
  
Of course, Buffy thought as she saw two "Children of Buffy" leaning over her ready to cast spells,  
  
that might not mean all that much in thirty seconds . . .  
  
  
  
Part 17  
  
  
  
"Think not that I have come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a stake." Giles 10:34  
  
  
  
The spell seemed remarkably similar to what Buffy remembered of the ritual of soul restoration, complete with some kind of Orb. From somewhere off to her left, she heard Drusilla tell the Children that once it was over they were to go "cleanse" themselves.  
  
Then the muttering, in some language Buffy didn't recognize, concluded, and Buffy found herself fading . . .  
  
And abruptly she was in some kind of vast, featureless landscape. There was something she was standing on, though she couldn't see it; and the light, a dark brown, was coming from someplace, though she couldn't tell where. It couldn't be hell, or heaven, and it probably wasn't Pittsburgh.  
  
Buffy looked around, and everything pretty much looked the same in all directions, nothing but dark brown as far as the eye could see. Having no idea what she was doing there – in fact, a little amazed that there was even a she left to be there; soul or not, that spell looked pretty powerful.  
  
Or could she be in the orb?  
  
A smiling voice said languorously behind her, "Poor lost little lamb. She wonders where she is."  
  
Buffy spun and saw Dru standing there, though it was the Dru of old, complete with intact feet and Stevie Nicks-like outerwear. "Yes. She does. And SHE," Buffy said, pointing to Dru, "Is beginning to talk crazy talk again."  
  
"Am I?" the vampire said. "Maybe you're right; maybe all I ever learned how to do was fake it." She giggled. "But it sure was fun, though. Now I think I'll pretend to be you for a while." She paused for a second. "Oh, eek, eek, you nasty unredeemed vampires, mustn't do those things, now hold still while I stake you."  
  
In an equally atrocious accent, Buffy said, "Or someday, some looney tune might make a religion out of the person what kills you." Her tone was acid.  
  
"That," Dru said, "Is an unfair mocking of my accent. And quite nasty to the Looney Tunes."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"So I don't take it you're going to be nice to me and just vanish like a good little program?"  
  
"Hadn't been planning on it," Buffy snapped back.  
  
"Well then," Drusilla said, "I suppose I'll have to get you out of here myself."  
  
And so saying, she began to grow – and grow, and grow, until Buffy was pretty damn small by comparison. Then – quite naturally – she tried to step on Buffy.  
  
Who was of course having none of it, and dove out of the way. After another couple of stomps Drusilla yelled down, "Please hold still; you're making this ever so much more difficult than it needs to be."  
  
Buffy didn't answer, being too involved in both diving for her life and trying to figure out how Dru was doing what she was doing. She wasn't dumb; she'd figured out this was metaphorical, somehow. She and Dru were slugging it out in some kind of ethereal plane, inside that Orb if she had a soul --  
  
Or inside HER, if she didn't. Either way, Drusilla was invading her, invading her programming. And from what she'd just said, Buffy was willing to bet that was more likely.  
  
And if Dru could grow –  
  
Then so could she.  
  
Once she figured it out, it was as easy as concentrating. Within seconds she was once again face to face with the demon.  
  
To Buffy's surprise, Dru laughed. "Oh good," she said. "I do so love it when my prey struggles . . ."  
  
"How about when it kills you?" Buffy smacked Dru in the face.  
  
And the fight was on.  
  
  
  
Part 18  
  
  
  
"For I am the first and the last; I was there at the beginning, I will be there at the end. Exalted are they that do as she hath done; they shall have a glorious life on Earth, and may enter into heaven once this life endeth. But without the gates shall be witches, and sorcerers, and murderers, and the unredeemed. I the Redeemer have sent this message by the prophet Cordelia, to tell you these things. I am the child of Redemption. And let the prophet say, Come. And let whoever will listen, come. And whosoever will, let them taste freely of redemption. For I testify unto all who heareth the words of the prophecy in this book, that others may prophesy, but none may do so of the Redeemer. She who testifieth these things saith, I shall return, when the world be in the hour of its greatest need, Surely, I come quickly. Peace and redemption be with you all." The Revelations of Cordelia 22:13-22:22  
  
  
  
There was no backdrop, there were no props, there was no one there except Buffy and Drusilla.  
  
Fighting.  
  
Into the twilight, endlessly fighting.  
  
Drusilla had been planning for this for the better part of a hundred years, and she reminded Buffy of this constantly during their struggle. Maybe she thought she was using psychological warfare, unnerving Buffy; the truth of it was, all she was doing was pissing Buffy off.  
  
Still, it was a massive commitment for a vampire whose sanity was still in question, so Dru was pretty damn determined to win.  
  
Buffy, on the other hand, had been ripped from the past, had had barely eight hours to adjust to a world where she was revered as a near-deity, and wasn't even sure if she was actually Buffy Summers, or just a recording.  
  
But even a recording would have known this was wrong. So, as Buffy would have willed it, she fought. She fought with every fiber of her being, every line in her program, every component of the spell that created her.  
  
The thing was, neither one of them was tiring, and neither one was getting hurt; further, Buffy wasn't carrying any weapons of any sort, or any way of making fire, and the amount of sunlight in this nameless limbo was exactly zero.  
  
So if she somehow beat Drusilla's image into a bloody pulp – then what?  
  
She dodged another punch, then kicked Drusilla in the chest. "You're not playing fair," Drusilla said. "You were supposed to be just a robot."  
  
"Aw, did your wittle pwoteges scwew up their wittle spell?" Buffy mocked. "Maybe next time you shouldn't resort to conversion by eye." Drusilla grabbed her around the shoulders and threw her. She landed, but it didn't hurt.  
  
"My eye is still quite effective," Drusilla said. "Except on you."  
  
"Hazards of being a computer program, I guess," Buffy said. "Now –"  
  
They slugged it out for another timeless length of time until they broke off, staring at each other. "So," Drusilla said, "It seems we're at a standoff."  
  
"Seems to be," Buffy said. "Wanna give up?"  
  
"No. You?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Which does," Drusilla said, "Seem to leave us in a predicament. What I wouldn't give for a good deus ex machina right now."  
  
"Wanna call it a draw, head on back to your own body, and then try to beat each other up for real?"  
  
"That wouldn't be fair. I can't move that fast in my real body."  
  
Affecting a sigh, Buffy said, "Not trying to be fair, sweetie."  
  
"Alas, I figured that out a long time ago," Drusilla said.  
  
For another timeless length of time, they thought. Then Drusilla said, "Rock, paper, scissors?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Coin flip?"  
  
"No." After a second. "Where would you get the coin?"  
  
"Here," Drusilla said, and manifested a coin in front of her. "Flip this."  
  
"We can do that?" Buffy asked. Then, before Drusilla could answer, she manifested a stake. "Thanks for the tip."  
  
Then she stabbed Drusilla through the heart.  
  
The vampire exploded –  
  
And once again Buffy found herself looking through her own eyes, but this time she could move. Easily snapping the restraints, she stood up and saw Drusilla's unmoving body lying on the table next to hers, and two dead willows lying on the floor nearby. Buffy remembered that Drusilla had told them to "cleanse" themselves, and guessed that meant poison.  
  
So, no witnesses. What to do? First, she restrained Drusilla's still-intact body, on the chance it could still come back – she'd learned the lessons of the Master too well.  
  
Then she looked around the room – and found, as she'd expected in the lair of "The Visionary," a copy of the Slayer's Testament. She read through it thoroughly, twice. Buffy had no idea how long it took, but no one dared disturb the Visionary in her quarters.  
  
When she was satisfied she knew what the Testament said – about her, her friends, about why "willows" were hated and about the prophecies of her return – she opened the doors and strode boldly back towards the council chambers.  
  
There would be problems with what Buffy was going to do next, which was co- opt Drusilla's idea of a "Second Coming" and turn it on its ear. August knew she was a machine. So did Maddie – and for that matter, that traitor, Mikki.  
  
They could be dealt with. This world had too many problems, too many things wrong with it, for her to flinch at finding ways to fix it. Maddie and August could be let in, she felt – August killed, if necessary. Mikki could be silenced.  
  
Dru had said she wanted a deus ex machina.  
  
Well, from a machine, this world was about to receive its god. 


End file.
